


Never Let Me Go

by ImGroovyAndIKnowIt



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Angst and Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:42:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImGroovyAndIKnowIt/pseuds/ImGroovyAndIKnowIt
Summary: Bill and Laura reunite after the Exodus
Relationships: William Adama/Laura Roslin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	Never Let Me Go

**Author's Note:**

> Since we were robbed of a Post-Exodus reunion, here is my take on it ;)  
> I don't know what's up with this ship and angst, but I just cannot get enough...
> 
> Rated M to be on the safe side because I never really know for sure and don't want to tempt it. There are mentions of what happened to Laura in the detention centre, and very tame intimate details (compared to what I could have done lol)

New Caprica.

What a frakking joke.

The planet got smaller and smaller the farther Colonial One flew from it, and Laura watched it disappear. She stayed at the window for an eternity, standing on her frail legs, not moving, afraid to even blink and disturb this dream. Surely, she’d wake up alone and cold down there in her tent, or worse, in that cell the Cylons loved to throw her in. 

If she blinked, it would all be gone -- a Baltar-free Colonial One, Galactica… and Bill. Her heart ached as she stared ahead. The escape had happened in such a blur, such a hurry that Laura hadn’t taken the time to think. She had acted, headed for  _ her  _ ship, and got the hell out of that godsforsaken planet. But now…

“Laura?”

Tory’s voice.

Yes, Tory had come with her.

She would be president again, wouldn’t she? And Tory would work for her once more. What a frakking mess this all was.

“Laura?” Tory repeated.

Laura blinked.

She was still on Colonial One. Everything was fine. Well, not everything.

“Tom Zarek is going to be President now. I think you should do something about that.”

Right.

Laura took a deep breath and pushed it out slowly, repeating the process until her mind had cleared enough to think. It didn’t matter if this was a dream, she had a job to do either way, and she would get it done. She wouldn’t crumble. She hadn’t under Cylon rule and she wouldn’t now.

“Yes, I’ll need to speak with Mr Zarek as soon as possible,” she agreed, glancing at her hands and finding them dirty with the New Caprica dust that never seemed to settle.

“I’ll arrange it,” Tory nodded and left her alone again.

Laura’s eyes followed her as she walked away, thus falling on Baltar’s frakking portrait behind her desk. She walked over, took it off the wall, and threw it across the room. It crashed against one of the seats but didn’t even break. Laura felt the weight around her lungs loosen a little, and she laughed.

She laughed, and laughed, and then she cried. 

Catching a slight reflection of herself in the window, she shook her head. She could not meet Zarek like this, not if she was going to wrestle him for the presidency. Like this, she was fragile, dull, dirty, and she wouldn’t stand that.

She stayed longer than necessary in the shower, but the first third of it was spent scrubbing every corner of it -- gods knew what Baltar had even done in there. She then rubbed at her skin so much that she was as red as a lobster when she stepped out, but a somewhat clean one. Fresh clothes felt heavenly, and as she brushed her hair, she caught a familiar sight out the window. 

_ Galactica _ . 

Bill.

The force of the memories, the thoughts, the hopes she’d pushed away came back like a kick in the gut and she sat down, holding a trembling hand to her lips. This was why she had forced herself not to think about Bill, about how he was right there in his ship, about how he’d come for her like she’d known he would, about everything she should have told him. If she started thinking about him, if she allowed it… 

Footsteps announced someone’s approach and Laura closed her eyes, and shook her head. 

Settle this with Zarek first, then whatever next issue she had to deal with, and maybe she could think about calling Bill.

He stepped into her office -- what used to be her office -- and sat down across from Zarek. She had grown to feeling something akin to respect for him, based on his actions on New Caprica, and it certainly made the meeting easier. He had changed too, he wasn’t delusional enough to think he could handle the presidency. He wouldn’t get the support of the military, for one, and maybe he didn’t feel confident either after the Baltar debacle -- the one he helped create.

They agreed, shook hands and he was out again. Tory was back in as Laura took off her glasses and rubbed her forehead to soothe the headache, which of course didn’t help at all. She had a lot more to do today, as both the former president and the next. 

When Tory didn’t speak, Laura looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. Tory didn’t usually do shy and quiet, but she stood there, biting her lip.

“What is it?” Laura asked.

“The Admiral called while you were with Mr Zarek,” Tory said at last. Laura’s breath hitched in her throat. “He wants to arrange a meeting... if you’re feeling well enough. His words.”

“Does he know I’m not the president?” Laura asked, heart beating faster at the prospect of seeing Bill again.

“I don’t think it’s the President he wants to see,” Tory replied, looking at Laura who blushed lightly. What had Bill told Tory exactly? Or had she simply guessed that?

“I’ll go now,” Laura nodded. “We also need to get a new survivor’s count started,” she reluctantly added. How many lives had they lost down there? She used to agonise over every single time the number went down, and now, hundreds, if not thousands of people had met their ends in that hellhole, and she’d have to deal with it.

Laura took the five minutes she needed to be able to stand up, and for her legs to carry her. Seeing Bill again, after months of hell, seemed too good to be true. 

When the hours in that cell in the detention centre would get too long, when she’d hurt too much, she’d indulge herself and bring back the memories of that night when they’d drunk and smoked and made love, and pain would be kept at bay for a little bit while her heart filled with love and her mind with the memories of happier times.

An hour later, as she walked the corridors of Galactica, she realised she had no idea what she was going to tell him. Could words even express what she wanted him to know? Was she even allowed to say those things? It remained unthinkable for the two leaders of humanity to be in a relationship, that hadn’t changed.

Galactica’s crew saluted her as she passed them, and she gave them warm smiles and greetings in exchange. She would make sure they knew how grateful she truly was, but later. 

“Madame President,” the guard stationed in front of Bill’s quarters greeted her before he opened the hatch. She didn’t have the heart to correct him. She was so tired. 

Laura stepped through to Bill’s quarters, and she was immediately hit with a wave of familiarity that made her stagger. Everything was at its place, like the last time she’d been there, the night before she’d settled. They’d shared a drink, and talked, and laughed, and didn’t mention how they would be separated for gods know how long.

It was so good to be back.

Bill sat at his desk, and he looked up, his mouth hanging open at the sight of her. Their eyes met, and a sob escaped Laura’s lips, a tear and then another falling down her cheeks. 

William Adama, Admiral of the Fleet, stubborn strong arm of the military, President jailer, her partner, her rock, got to his feet and all but ran to her. In no time, she was engulfed in his strong arms, her head against his chest, and the tears ran free.

“Laura,” he whispered, holding her so tight she could hardly breathe, but nothing else but him mattered.

She didn’t trust her voice to speak, so she didn’t, settling for listening to his steady heartbeat, her tears wetting his tanks.

Once her sobs had died down, she leaned away slightly, just enough to be able to look at his face. He smiled at her, wide and full of teeth as his wet eyes bore into hers. She brought her hands up to tangle in his hair, and he rested his forehead against hers. For a moment, they simply stood there, breathing each other in, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

They were so many things she wanted to say.  _ I missed you. I love you. I don’t want to live without you. _

She could have even asked where he went, but she found she didn’t care. The Cylons had cared. A lot. They had wanted to know where Bill and the rest of the fleet had gone, wanted her to tell them. She didn’t know, she kept telling them. But she’d known one thing: Bill would come back, it was only a matter of time. If she could just hold on a little longer. 

He was there now, finally.

“You still have that moustache,” she said instead with a small, playful smile and his laugh was music to her ears.

“You don’t like it,” he said.

“It has to go,” she replied with a shrug. 

“Why?” he asked.

She glanced at his mouth.  _ Because I want your lips on me.  _

Her legs shook, and Bill’s hand tightened around her waist to hold her up. “Laura, are you okay?” he asked, frowning as his eyes took her in from head to toe.

She knew she looked dreadful, even after showering. Her hair was dull, her skin pale, and the bags under her eyes bordered on being called containers now. She hadn’t slipped back into her formal blouses and skirts, either, but wore a warm sweater to try and fight the cold that seeped into her bones.

“I’m fine,” she replied, wiping her cheeks with her hands. 

Bill directed her to sit on his couch anyway, and she didn’t protest. “Have you eaten anything? I couldn’t finish my dinner. You should have it.”

“I’m not hungry,” Laura shook her head, gripping his wrist when he tried to leave to get it. “Stay with me.”

He sat down next to her and took both of her hands in his. Her thoughts wandered again, to all the things she wanted to do, all the things she couldn’t do. 

They hadn’t talked about that night. It had been something simple, just between a man and a woman, to happen in the moment. She'd been a civilian, so nothing had stopped her. And now… she was a civilian again, albeit not for long, and her mind had such trouble pushing back memories of the feel of his naked skin, the curve of his smile, and the gasps of her name.

“I love you, Laura,” Bill said, breaking the silence and the desperate attempt of Laura’s brain to protect her.

Her eyes widened and moved to his face, trying to read him. The look he gave her punched all the air out of her lungs -- pain, longing, love, regret, adoration. She closed her eyes to avoid the assault for feelings, just for a second. 

And you know what? Frak her brain, and frak the press and the gossip and frak the Quorum too that’d give her hell for this.

She pressed her lips to his, and Bill responded eagerly, letting go of one of her hands to wrap around her back. She sighed against his lips, familiar and new at the same time. They kissed slowly, unhurriedly, but with a passion that spoke of all those days and nights apart, unsure if they’d see each other again. Her heart beat faster when he stroked her tongue with his, and she fisted a hand into his hair, moving closer and almost across his lap.

“I should’ve never let you go,” Bill whispered, having to part for some much-needed air.

Laura shook her head, her mind both clearer and foggier after that kiss. “We didn’t have a choice.”

Bill shrugged and brought his hand up to cup Laura’s cheek, thumb stroking her skin. 

The clearer part of Laura’s brain assaulted her with questions of conflict of interest, of leaders of humanity, of responsibilities, but a thought struck her and didn’t let go, fighting on her behalf.

Before she’d left Colonial One, Tory had let it slip that everyone thought they were already together anyway, everyone knew they were in love. No one would be surprised if she were to leave his quarters in the morning, tomorrow, and every day after that.

#

Gods he’d missed her.

They were kissing again before he realised it and she had moved to fully sit on his lap now, humming her approval when his hands slipped under her sweater to caress the bare skin of her back.

Gods he’d missed her.

She was too thin and deeply exhausted, that much was obvious, but the fire in her still burned. The Cylons hadn't broken her, whatever they might have done.

Laura broke the kiss, leaning her forehead against his again, and he realised he'd been frowning.

He couldn't think about that. He simply couldn't. If he started thinking about her in that detention centre -- the one Saul had mentioned she'd also been in -- he wouldn't stop, and anger would consume him until nothing was left. Anger at himself for leaving, anger at the Cylons for coming back, anger at frakking Baltar for making this happen. If only he’d let Laura steal the election.

He took a deep breath to tamper the feelings down. She wouldn't tell him anyway. He could ask, but she'd say she was fine and move on. 

"Bill," Laura said and he opened his eyes. “This can’t just be a quick, thank-the-gods-we’re-alive frak.”

“How presumptuous,” Bill managed a chuckle at his joke. 

“If this is what you want, and then pretend like nothing happened, like that night months ago, then no, we can stop right there. I don’t have the energy. It’s not just a one-time thing, right?

The look that Laura gave him made his laughter quickly die down. She was serious. “I want us. Not just today, but tomorrow too, and the day after that. And the day after that.”

He was rewarded with a smile, and suddenly Laura’s lips were on his again, biting, sucking, loving, and he groaned, his hands still on her back pressing her closer. She was so tense, every muscle in her body strained to its maximum, and Bill’s heart ached for her, his feelings going from aroused to concerned -- and still aroused, because how could he not be with the way she was nibbling on his lower lip. 

He couldn’t erase what had happened, but he could try to make her feel better. His resolve strengthened, and he stood up, moving his hands under her ass to support her weight as he walked over to his rack.

Her giggle so close to his ear almost made his heart explode, filling it to the brim with happiness.

Gods he’d missed her.

“I like where this is going,” she grinned when he gently set her down.

“You’re going to need to lie on your stomach,” he instructed, sitting down by her side.

She cocked her head to the side, looking at him quizzically. “What’s on your mind?”

“I want to help you relax. I’m not bad at massages.”

Laura sighed, her face closing. “I'm fine, Bill. I don't need-"

Bill shook his head. "It's an order, Laura,” he said in his deepest, most Admiral voice. “I outrank you, now."

She raised an eyebrow and glared at him, the same one she gave people before throwing them out of airlocks. For once, he was grateful she wasn’t President anymore, or he might have found himself taking a trip outside.

“For three days,” she said with narrowed eyes. “Enjoy them."

"Oh, I will." Bill flashed her a grin and placed a kiss on her lips. “On your stomach now.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, and rolled over, folding her arms under her pillow and laying her head on top.

Bill brought his hands to her shoulders and moved once before he realised this wouldn’t work. He couldn’t feel her skin, couldn’t know where to press to relax the stressed muscles. He bit the inside of his cheek.

“Would you take your sweater off?” he asked.

Laura hummed as a response and sat up again, making quick work of removing any layer covering the skin of her upper body. He watched her, ignoring his body’s reaction to the display of so much naked skin. There would be time to explore, to touch, taste and reconnect later. Now was about her.

But as his eyes raked over her body, they took in the marks New Caprica had left behind. Angry red marks on her wrists from tight, abrasive bindings, and brownish-red blemishes at the top of her arms -- burn marks, his mind helpfully supplied. 

What happened. What happened.  _ What happened. _

Don't ask. 

_ Don't ask. _

_ Let her tell you when she wants to.  _

From the quick conversation he'd had with Saul, Bill had gathered that the Cylons had taken his eye and suddenly, fear wrapped its icy fist around his heart with the thought of what Laura might have lost there, what she might have left behind. He suppressed a shiver and steeled his spine.

Laura had resumed her position on her stomach with her head on her arms over the pillow. 

This time, Bill could feel every strained muscle under his fingertips, and he got to work, massaging the knots out of Laura’s shoulders, and then down her back. She sighed and moaned at first at the pressure of Bill’s hands against her sore muscles, then turned to a near-constant hum until she eventually fell quiet, and her breathing evened out.

Bill lost track of time, unsure of how long he’d been there, working his hands over Laura’s soft skin but when he flexed his fingers, something cracked in both of his wrists. Laura had relaxed enough to fall asleep, and that was all he could have asked for.

He turned off the light and lay down next to Laura, kissing her bare shoulder before he pulled the blankets on top of them both.

She was the strongest person he'd ever known, his brave partner, his sturbborn President. She needed a good night’s sleep, and he’d give her anything. He’d never let her go again.

#

There was so much work to be done that Bill had to slip out of bed early in the morning and make his way to the CIC. He scanned every person he passed on the corridors, the buzz of activity of a working warship pulling a small smile out of him. It was so good to have a full crew again, and for his ship, his Galactica, to be fully functioning once more.

He coordinated repairs, organised duty roasters, spoke to pilots and to Lee, who asked about Laura. His son had heard that Laura had come to Galactica last night, and he gave him a knowing, but somewhat gentle smile. Lee had always been observant, after all. 

“No, dad, it’s not just me. Everyone knows,” Lee said in response to Bill telling him to keep it to himself for now. They hadn’t discussed how and if to tell the Fleet about them, and he couldn’t put a strain on their budding relationship by surprising Laura with the fact that he’d let everyone know.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not hard to see how you only have eyes for each other. It’s fine.”

Bill gave him a look. “Are people saying we’re failing in our positions of leaders as a result?”

“Not anyone on Galactica. There’s even…” Lee cut himself off, but Bill narrowed his eyes.

“There’s what?” Bill pressed. 

Lee held Bill’s gaze for a long moment before he caved. “Fine, there’s a bet. The crew has been betting on whether you two are going to wake up and get together already.”

Bill huffed out a laugh. He should’ve expected that -- the crew did bet on everything and nothing, after all -- but oddly, he hadn’t. “Which side were you on?”

Lee cleared his throat and had the good grace to look uncomfortable. “I can’t reveal that.”

When Bill came back to his quarters, Laura was awake, and the smile she gave him made his heart skip a beat. She looked much more alive than last night, and he shed his uniform jacket before making his way to her.

“I missed you when I woke up,” she said reproachfully between kisses and pulled him until he toppled over and joined her on his rack.

“How can I make it up to you?” he asked, attaching his lips to her neck.

She hummed, running a hand through his hair. “This is a good start.”

He spent hours exploring her body again, taking his time drawing those sounds out of her that had been seared in his mind since he'd first heard them that night on New Caprica. She was as responsive as he remembered, and it by far beat his most vivid memories. He had his Laura back, in his arms, in his heart, and even in his rack.

It wasn't the same as that first and only other night he'd shared her bed. They weren't drunk or high, making the effect somehow deeper. This was their conscious minds, their hearts and bodies choosing each other more than just their alcohol-soaked brains taking over. 

When she lay naked and panting in his arms, he thanked the Lords of Kobol he didn’t believe in for bringing her back to him. He traced lazy patterns on her back, and she planted a kiss on his chest.

“How is everything?” she asked.

“We may have made Lee rich,” he said, assuming she referred to his time working when she’d slept.

Laura lifted her head to look at him questioningly, and his mind blanked. Why did he even try to think about anything but her? He pushed back a fiery curl that had fallen in front of her eyes and kissed her lips, licking his way into her mouth. She shivered, and arousal stirred in him again when she moaned softly and pressed her body even closer. 

Suddenly, she pulled back, and looked at him pointedly. “If you keep kissing me like that, I’ll get too distracted, and now I want to know how we contributed to your son’s wealth.”

Bill lifted his head to try and kiss her again, but she held his chest down, so he ran a hand down her side instead and up again. Her tongue came out to wet her lips.

“They have a bet. He wouldn’t tell me, but I think he bet that we’d get together,”

“Well, this is embarrassing,” Laura said with a laugh.

“Take it this way, at least they’ll support us,” Bill shrugged. “I love you, Laura, and I’ll bet on us any day.”

Laura’s magnificent green eyes bore into his, and he wondered how he could have ever thought they’d only be friends. What a fool he’d been.

“I never actually said it back, did I?” she said. “I love you, Bill.”

Bill grinned. “About time.”


End file.
